City of Mandurah to award local social justice expert $5,000 scholarship

Mayor Paddi Creevey OAM will present the $5,000 City of Mandurah Convention Scholarship to local social justice expert Lisa Craig on Thursday 26 July at City of Mandurah’s Tuckey Room.

As Manager of the Peel Community Legal Service, Ms Craig has worked in the social justice field for 20 years with a majority of experience gained from working within the Peel region and volunteering for international humanitarian organisations.

The $5,000 City of Mandurah Convention Scholarship is just one of the 14 awards under Perth Convention Bureau’s highly successful Aspire Program, designed to assist the individual’s personal and professional development by attendance at a relevant international conference in their chosen field of endeavor.

Ms Craig is actively involved in multiple associations including The Rotary Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and she is a member of the State and National Community Legal Services Association.

As part of her quest for a more peaceful world, one of her many contributions includes fundraising and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity – a not-for-profit housing organisation that helps build affordable houses worldwide. She also participated in developing the first international partnership to complete the building of a home in Thailand.

Ms Craig’s academic qualifications include a Masters Degree in Human Rights from Curtin University and an International Certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Her two areas of research include access to housing including international approaches to sustainable housing and housing as a collaborative community endeavor; and access to justice, pathways to peace and fostering a civic society.

Ms Craig plans to use her scholarship to further her research on housing, peacemaking and civic engagement by attending an international conference specific to promoting focus on dialogical learning, knowledge sharing and after conference support.

Perth Convention Bureau’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Beeson said that the Aspire Program had been responsible for generating more than $95 million in direct delegate expenditure (conference delegate spend) to the Western Australian economy, as well as broadening the community’s knowledge base and showcasing our expertise.